Christopher Nolan says ‘The Odyssey’ has to become the biggest film of his career yet

Christopher Nolan has revealed new details about the enormous scale behind The Odyssey, describing the upcoming epic as the biggest and most technically demanding project of his career so far. The filmmaker shared the comments during an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes, where viewers were given a rare look at his traditional filmmaking process.

Speaking with correspondent Scott Pelley, Nolan explained that adapting Homer’s ancient Greek story required a production unlike anything his team had attempted before. According to the director, the scope of the narrative demanded a much larger cinematic approach than his previous films.

Nolan said The Odyssey “needed to be the biggest film” he had ever made, adding that the project had to challenge everyone involved because of the nature of the story itself. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and has already become one of the most anticipated releases currently in development.

One clip shown during the interview featured Damon navigating violent storm conditions aboard a ship. After watching the footage, Pelley joked that it looked as though Nolan had nearly drowned the actor during filming. Nolan laughed and replied that the production had certainly “put him through his paces”.

Damon also spoke separately about the demanding shoot, calling it the hardest film he has ever worked on. The actor said the experience was difficult “by far”, suggesting the scale and physical intensity of the production surpassed anything else in his career.

The 60 Minutes segment also highlighted Nolan’s commitment to large format filmmaking. The Odyssey is reportedly the first feature length movie to be filmed entirely on Imax cameras, continuing the director’s long standing preference for practical filmmaking techniques over digital shortcuts.

During the interview, Nolan demonstrated how he physically edits film by cutting and gluing together strips of Imax footage inside what was described as the world’s last remaining film laboratory of its kind. Pelley noted that digital filmmaking has largely replaced older methods because it is faster, cheaper and easier to manage.

However, Nolan remains committed to film technology. According to the programme, 70mm Imax film can deliver image quality up to three times higher than standard digital formats. The director has consistently defended the visual depth and texture of film projection throughout his career, particularly on movies such as Oppenheimer, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet.

The interview arrives amid growing attention surrounding The Odyssey, which has already generated major online discussion over its casting and production scale. Nolan’s adaptation is expected to reimagine the legendary Greek tale for modern audiences while continuing his reputation for technically ambitious filmmaking.

CBS will air the full 60 Minutes interview on Sunday at 7pm, with streaming also available through Paramount+.